Following in the footsteps of Polo

When the famous Venetian explorer Marco Polo visited Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in the late 13th century, well-traveled as he was, it is said that he was still filled with amazement and overwhelmed by what he saw.

In his seminal account of his journey, The Travels of Marco Polo, he called Hangzhou the "city of heaven", describing it as "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world".

Some 700 years after Polo's death, a major exhibition about the man and his legacy opened on May 8 in the city he so admired.

Titled Viaggio Di Conoscenze: "Il Milione" Di Marco Polo E La Sua Eredita Fra Oriente E Occidente or A Journey of Knowledge: The Travels of Marco Polo and Its Legacy Between East and West, the exhibition includes 84 rare artifacts from between the 13th and 20th centuries, on loan from 11 Italian museums and cultural institutions, including manuscripts, oil paintings, sculptures, jewelry, ceramics, glassware and textiles.

"Not by chance, the exhibition is being held in Hangzhou, a city symbolically close to Italy, as already captured in the accounts of the great Venetian traveler," said Massimo Ambrosetti, the Italian ambassador to China, at the opening ceremony.

"The vivid portrayals in The Travels of Marco Polo are an authentic 'journey of knowledge', in which Marco Polo depicts cities, thriving markets, different peoples, wealth, technology, and the high level of cultural refinement of a then largely unknown part of world, helped shape a lasting perception of China and the East in Europe," he said.

"His chronicles sparked widespread curiosity in medieval Western Europe toward China and the marvels of the Orient, a fascination that endured for centuries," Ambrosetti added.

Divided into six parts, the exhibition retraces the thrilling expedition of Polo and his fellow explorers along what later became known as the Silk Road through their own perspectives, presenting the stories of cultural exchange and integration that occurred along the way.

It focuses on the power of narrative, said the organizers of the exhibition.

In an era when information about distant lands was gleaned through written and oral accounts, Marco Polo's chronicles were a captivating primary source of knowledge about the East. The contents of his book were even translated into geographic and cartographic representations.

In fact, among the items on show is a series of illustrations reproduced from a 16th-century version of The Travels of Marco Polo, which turned Polo's words into images. Another notable series of drawings show the enlarged details of cities, including Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Venice, and Constantinople (now Istanbul), that appeared on the world map by Fra Mauro, a 15th-century Italian monk — most of which was based on the traveler's descriptions.

Marco Polo and travelers like him long shaped the Western perception of China and vice versa, according to Yu Xuhong, president of the China Academy of Art, where the exhibition is being held.

"For centuries, the civilizational exchanges and learning represented by Marco Polo's travels have played an irreplaceable role in advancing the modernization of society and the prosperity of the world's civilizations," he said.

One artifact — a child's long coat — exemplifies the vibrancy of such cross-cultural relations. The garment, which is part of the collection of the Stibbert Museum in Florence, is believed to have come from the Ottoman Empire in the late 17th century as it is based on a classic Turkish caftan cut, but its luxurious blue silk fabric brocaded with gold and silver thread is of Italian manufacture. Meanwhile, its brown floral-patterned lining was likely made in India or Persia, and its collar and button designs are apparently Chinese.

Indeed, the jewelry, glassware, clothing, carpets and textiles that had been traded along the Silk Road and that are on show at the exhibition are testament to the enduring exchange between Europe and Asia, according to the organizers of the exhibition.

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union, and the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Italy, the exhibition will help deepen bilateral relations, Ambrosetti said.

"Today, just as seven centuries ago, cultural exchange between Italy and China continues to flourish, sustained by a shared awareness of the profound significance of the bridge that Marco Polo, through his extraordinary journey, helped build," he said. "The intellectual journey inherent in the exhibition will serve as a further stimulus to renew the commitment in Italy and China to cultivate mutual understanding."

The exhibition will run until July 31.